Labour Day recognition for Records and Milestones at Caymanas

Orville Clarke, Gleaner Writer

The Records and Milestones race meet is on at Caymanas Park today as Caymanas Track Limited (CTL), in association with the sponsors, Durex Condoms, take us down memory lane to recount the achievements of the people, the horses and the organisations that have made Caymanas a household name in Jamaica.

According to CTL's acting CEO, Camile Buchanan, at the recent launch, "we will revisit the exploits of many of the legends who have graced the racetrack. Many of the stories will again come alive and many great moments recaptured."

The holiday programme will feature the annual renewal of the Labour Day Trophy (high claiming) over 1200 metres, to be sponsored for the first time by Durex.

In addition to the Labour Day Trophy, which has attracted 10 starters, including last year's ROMEZ, other races on the 11-race programme will also offer trophies named after outstanding racing personnel, some of them living legends.

Among these races are the Winston Griffiths OD Most Classic Wins Trophy; the Philip Feanny OD Most Classic Wins Trophy; the Ken Mattis OD Double Hall of Fame Trophy; the Charles Hussey OD Five Straight Trophy; the Trevor Simpson OD 172 Wins in a Season Trophy; the Wayne DaCosta Most Wins in a Season Trophy; the Viceroy Three Times Horse of the Year Trophy; and the Highest Pick-9 $46.9 Million Trophy.

ROMEZ was trained by Patrick Chang for Arscott Farms when lifting the Labour Day Trophy last year, but on this occasion the consistent seven-year-old gelding runs from the barn of in-form trainer Welsh Soutar.

ROMEZ, who races in the silks of popular owner, Sweety Man, has won three of his last five races, the most recent on April 25 when scoring a 31-1 upset in the Easter Sprint Cup over 1100 metres for overnight allowance horses.

little difficulty

ROMEZ stormed through in the last furlong to win by 2¹/² lengths from SUPER DAVE and PRINCE OF PEACE. Although he was subsequently unplaced behind the American filly, DANCE WITH ME, over 1100 metres in open allowance company in a fast-run race, ROMEZ, now dropped in class, should have little difficulty in disposing of high claimers, despite top weight.

Connections have secured the services of claiming apprentice, Arthur Badhu, to reduce the weight to 55.0kg and ROMEZ, well drawn on the outside at post position 10, should prove too strong for stable-companion CLASSICAL BULLET, a bold front-runner, and down-in-class CLASSIC BEAU, who will not find the distance too sharp.

Other firm fancies on the card are YES WE WILL, for owner Coco Tea in the second race; MEELO in the fourth; MISTER INFORMATION in the sixth; PRIVATE CARD in the ninth; and SIR VON in the 10th race for the Charles Hussey OD Straight Five Trophy, for open allowance horses.